Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of the most serious infectious diseases with nearly 33.3 million infected individuals worldwide in the year 2009. Out of these infected individuals, 2.5 million are below 15 years of age with 14.6 million people estimated to be in need of antiretroviral therapy (ART). People with a cell count lower than 350 are usually administered with ART.
In Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, HIV causes a significant reduction in CD4 cells. CD4 cells initiate the body's immune response. Hence, an effective way to monitor AIDS is to measure CD4 cell proportion in blood samples of patients during the therapy for HIV. Patients need to be monitored every 3-6 months to verify the progression of the disease.
Currently, HIV diagnosis is carried out using Enzyme-linked immunesorbent assay (ELISA) or through conventional flow cytometry techniques. ELISA is a common qualitative technique used to diagnose HIV and it is an effective method of HIV detection. Conventionally, flow cytometers are used to measure the level of HIV infection by CD4 cell count which increases during the immune response. These bulky instruments are disadvantageous in that they require expensive chemicals, thorough maintenance and experienced medical professionals to operate and maintain them effectively. This makes AIDS diagnosis a very costly and cumbersome affair at the present time.
Hence, there exists a need for a cost effective system and technique for pathological detection.